Global Security Newswire

U.S. officials say Pakistan is increasing the number of weapons in its nuclear arsenal, raising questions in Washington about the wisdom of supplying the South Asian country with billions of dollars in defense assistance, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, May 15).

Indications have come in both closed and open meetings between administration officials and lawmakers.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed during a Senate hearing last week that he had seen proof of an expanding Pakistani nuclear stockpile. He did not elaborate.

"We see them scaling up their centrifuge facilities," which could be used to produce weapon-grade uranium, said David Albright, head of the Institute for Science and International Security (see GSN, April 24). The scope of the uranium effort is not known, and Islamabad could produce weapon-grade plutonium at nuclear reactors now under construction.

The revelations come amid continued concern about the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal as the government battles the Taliban and other extremists. It also could fly in the face of U.S. President Barack Obama's push for an international treaty against production of fissile material for nuclear weapons, and more generally to press nuclear disarmament.

The United States could supply $3 billion over the next five years to help the Pakistani government counter insurgent groups, along with $7.5 billion in civilian assistance. While the funding is not marked for the Pakistani nuclear program, some worry that Islamabad might take savings that relief creates elsewhere in the budget and reinvest it in nuclear weapons. It is not clear whether these concerns would prompt Washington to reconsider its aid to Pakistan.

"The Bush administration turned a blind eye to this being ramped up," Albright said. "And of course, with enough pressure, all this could be preventable."

However, an unnamed Pakistani government official said revising the aid package would be unlikely to produce the desired effect. "Conditions or sanctions on this issue did not work in the past," he said, "and this will not send a positive message to the people of Pakistan" (Shanker/Sanger, New York Times, May 18).

Obama suggested in a recent interview with Newsweek that he would not rule out the option of deploying U.S. troops to help secure Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, the Press Trust of India reported.

"I don't want to engage in hypotheticals around Pakistan, other than to say we have confidence that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is safe; that the Pakistani military is equipped to prevent extremists from taking over those arsenals," he said.

However, Obama added: "As commander in chief I have to consider all options, but I think that Pakistan's sovereignty has to be respected. We are trying to strengthen them as a partner" (Press Trust of India I/ExpressIndia.com, May 17).

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Saturday that his nation would manage its nuclear capability as it sees fit, the Press Trust of India reported.

"We are determined to retain the nuclear deterrence at all costs while ensuring fail-safe security of our nuclear assets," Gilani said. "No amount of coercion, direct or indirect, will ever force Pakistan to compromise on its core security interest."

Gilani, like other Pakistani officials, said the nuclear arsenal remains secure.

The government has "developed and operationalized an immaculate nuclear weapons security regime which is multilayered, has stringent access controls and incorporates modern technical solutions and rigorous human reliability programs," he said.

Gilani said there is an "organized campaign" by "detractors" to raise concerns about Pakistan's nuclear security (Rezaul Laskar, Press Trust of India II/ZeeNews.com, May 16).